The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-08

LynCnltS at rOTI COlIlIlSJ diO \ 4hbAAy
Resulted in the Man Being Strung Up
at Cheyenne.
From the Chicago Mail
Zone of the best and withal the most
daring engineers on the Union Pacific was,
and still is, Fred Post Of Cheyenne" said
one of the Rocky Mountain delegates to the
Convention of the Brotherhood now in ses-
sion in this city. "When Post is on an en-
CINE he doesn't seem to know what fear is.
He has had passenger engines dozens of
times, but it wouldn't be long before he
would make some reckless run, just for the
deviltry of the thing, and then he would
be sent back to a freight run again. 1t
seems to be almost impossible for him to
run on sche dule time-he isn't happy unless
| he can let her out for every revolution
| there is in her. One of the fash
runs was from Cheyenne to Greeley, Col,
and over to Fort Collins, and then back
again TO Cheyenne. A special was made up
in Cheyenne to go over to Fort Collins after
a murderer named Moshier. Post was or
| dered to take old 400 the fastest engine on
| the road, and way car was attached for
the party of officers. Among the passen-
| gers were Sheriff Sharpless, several deputy
| sherlffs, some newspaper men, few promi-
|
| tendent of the road. The train had the
right of way, and everything was ordered
| on the side tracks until the special passed.
! Y on see the case was an important one, and,
and, as it resulted in one of the most famous
| lynchngs ever known in the far West, is
worth telling.
THE man Moshier was low-lived assas-
sin who had shot several people. He was
| tramping over the lonely trail between
! Cheyenne and the Black Hills one day when
| he met freighter, who picked him up and
| fed him and let him ride to Cheyenne. The
| freighter also had a passenger in young
man who had lived near Fort Laramie, and
who was on his way to his former home in
| Iowa. The outfit consisted of big prairie
schooner trail wagon and sixteen mules.
| When the end of the journey was reached
the party camped on the prairie. about three
| miles from Cheyenne, and near the govern
ment post of Fort Russell. The freighter
| intended TO come into town early the next
| morning load the wagons with goods for the
| Black Hills, and come back in the evening to
| the same camping ground. The mules were
turned out to Craze on the rich upland
| grass, and, as the night was threatening, all
! three men spread their blankets in one of
the big wagons, which, like all freight
| wagons, was covered with canvas, stretched
over high bows. A man standing in the
| wagon couldn't touch the canvas top over
prairie bedroom. During the night Moshier
| got up, and, taking an axe, struck the
| sleeping freighter a blow ON the head Sup
posing he had killed him, he next struck the
passenger, fracturing his skull. But the
man raised up, and, wounded as he was,
grappled with the murderer, took the ak
| away from him and threw it out of the
wagon. Moshier then shot the man
three times. A soldier at the post going
| out on duck hunt passed not far
| from the wagons and heard the shooting.
| Returning to the post he obtained assistance,
| and an investigation resulted in finding the
| bodies of two men, but Moshier had fed
The freighter was unconscious, but the pass
| enger, although mortally wounded was
able to make dying statement to an Epis-
| copal clergyman and to the prosecuting at
| torney. Unfortunately he didn't know
Moshier's name He died that afternoon.
1t came out that the murderer intended to
kill his benefactor and his fellow passenger,
| dump their bodies into oneipf the wagons,
hook up the mules, and drive off with the
whole outfit At night he would bury the
bodies build big camp fire over their
| graves to hide the spot, and take the
| wagons and mules to some part of the conn
| try where he could sell the outfit, which
! was worth about $1,000.
| 1.-THE people We're indignant over the das-
tardly crime and the other freighters were
| by the Territory and by private citizsns,
and hundreds of men gallOped over the
| country in search of the murderer. Three
| days afterward, and much to the surprise of
everybody, the freighter regained conscious
ness. He told who the murderer was, and
| then many people knew the man they were
| pursuing. Several days afterward he was
captured by Sheriff Sweeney of Fort Col
| Inns, Colorado.
| The Sheriff of Cheyenne feared lynch
| ing and SO the special train was secretly made
| up to go to Fort Collins and get back before
| daylight Engineer Post was in his ele-
ment, for he was expected to make fast
| time. The section of the road between
Greedy and Fort Collins was new and rough
| The ties We're laid on the dirt, without any
rock ballast and recent heavy rains had
made the ground SOFT The way Post ran
| old 100 was an example of his recklessness
| always believed he must have hung a
weight on the safety valve. There were sta
tionary steats on each side of the wav-car,
and a few common chairs sat on the floor
In one half of the car were hunks for the
use of the train men, and the Sheriff and
the Superintendent laid down on
these TO sleep. Post had about regained his
standing from his last escapade, and had a
chance 70 distinguish himself in the presence
of the Superintendent but instead of run
ming with express speed lie turned her over
for every stroke there was in her Old 400
plunged into the night kissing and rolling
like demon and maniac in one The
way-car rolled from side to side SO violently
that it was impossible to sit in the chairs.
Every little while the wheel would strike
the end of some rail that was not Joined
evenly; and the car would give lurch
which threatened to land it in the ditch
While the train was rushing to apparent
destruction, Post left the engine
and came back into the car moment,
as happy as a man could be. Some
body said something about being turned
over, and Post understood it to be a request
TO turn her over That suited him, and.
returning to the engine, he did turn her
over Heavens How the engine and its
one car rocked, and swayed and lurched!
Yet on, faster and faster they flew over
that dangerous track. 70 add to the ex-
element of the moment, the men in the car
discovered that Post had never been over
that branch before Suddenly the car gave
a heavy lurch and there WIS sound like a
thud' in the bunk room, The Superintend-
ent and the Sheriff had been thrown out of
their bunk The former made his way to
the front platform and, by yelling at the
top of his voice, attracted Posts attention
THE rest of the run to Fort Collins was
made slower, and when the train got there
Post got a jacketing for making such a
wild run. The trip gave him quite repu-
| fafiO OF hut ha ,l,,ft